Fury of Seduction (Dragonfury Series #3) (23 page)

She stared at her cards, seeing them, but not really. “Is three of a kind good?”

“Why?” Sprawled on the floor a few feet away, he raised a dark brow. “Is that whatcha got?”

His teasing tone rubbed her the wrong way. It shouldn’t have. Not really. She understood what he was trying to do...keep it light by taking her mind off her troubles. Tania appreciated the effort—she really did—but knowing his intent didn’t help. She refused to be an idiot and let him coddle her.

Leveling her chin, Tania glared at him.

Amusement sparked in his gaze. “Depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether you’ve got aces or kings.”

“In that case...” She laid her aces along with her jacks face up on the teak tabletop. Mac leaned forward to take a look. As he cursed, she said, “I just kicked your butt.”

“Nice.” A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth before he gave in and grinned at her. “You’re a natural. When can I take you to Vegas?”

“Tomorrow,” she whispered, unable to find her own smile. Winning almost always brought one to the surface, but not tonight. “But first you need to tell me this is all a dream. Just a bad dream. That I didn’t see any dragons. That everything will go back to normal. That I don’t need to be afraid anymore.”

His gaze left the cards and landed on her face. Regret and something more—affection, maybe—shimmered in his eyes. “As much as I would like to, honey, I can’t protect you from the truth. What you saw tonight is real. As dangerous as it gets.”

“That’s what I thought.” Fear pricked through her. She nodded anyway, trying to be brave, but as her throat closed, she realized fighting was futile. She’d landed in a world where dragons lived, and happily-ever-afters happened in storybooks, not to her. “Hey, Mac?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m still really scared.” Tania cringed, the shame of admitting it almost too much to bear. God, how embarrassing. She was such a wuss...a big, fat fraidycat for not being able to handle the news flash. And her new circumstances. “Guess that makes me a big chicken, huh?”

“No. It makes you normal.”

Ha! Right. Normal. If only it were that simple. Plucking at the frayed blanket edge, she said, “I’m sorry I yelled at you before.”

“I deserved it.”

“Yes, you did.” Chilled by more than the cold air in the cabin, she wiggled her toes to warm up her feet. “And I’m still mad at you for wrecking my car.”

“I’ll buy you another one.”

“No, thank you,” she said, her voice stronger, her tone surer. Thank goodness. At least she didn’t sound like a crybaby anymore. “I can buy my own stuff.”

“Think of it as a peace offering.” His focus on her, he tossed his cards onto the table.

Tania watched them slide, and him shift, from the corner of her eye. As he rolled to his feet, Tania tightened her grip on the blanket. He skirted the end of the coffee table, raising her internal alarm. As the thing went ring-a-ling-ling inside her head, she squirmed on the leather cushion. What was he doing? An excellent question, one
that got answered a moment later when he sat down beside her. The couch dipped, and Tania tensed, ready to let fly.

She didn’t want to be touched. Not by him. Not right now.

He was too...too...well,
everything
. Big. Masculine. A smooth-talking charmer wrapped up in a too-gorgeous-for-words package. And if he laid a finger on her, she’d lose her cool, melt into a messy puddle of stupidity, and burrow into his arms. Ask for comfort. Demand he make it all better. Like a flipping child.

God save her from her own idiocy.

“Tania?”

“What?”

“It’s okay to be afraid, you know.”

“Easy for you to say.” Back to staring at the fire, she whispered, “You’re used to being attacked by dragons.”

“Honey, look at me.”

Feeling foolish, she shook her head. “I can’t.”

He stayed silent, waiting her out. She lasted all of five seconds before she cracked.

“God, you don’t understand.” And oh wow. She sounded awful, the vocal equivalent of a train wreck. “If I look at you, I’ll fall apart. And I can’t do that...I just can’t.”

“Why not?” He shifted on the couch, moving toward her inch by slow inch.

“I’ve always prided myself on being the strong one, you know? I always worry. I can’t help that. Worrying, it’s sort of...well, written in my DNA or something, but I never freak out. I’m the one who always fixes everything, but I can’t fix this, so...” Her breath hitched as she paused, struggling to keep it together. She needed to prove—to herself and him—she was more than just a pretty face.
She was the strong one.
The strong one
, gosh darn it! But as tears pricked the corners of her eyes, she broke and curled inward, wrapping her arms around her knees. “Right now, I’m just...I don’t know...pathetic or something.”

“You are not.” The edge in his voice made her look up. He captured her gaze, his so fierce she blinked. “You’re nowhere near pathetic. What you are is exhausted. You need sleep and time to process, that’s all. It’ll all look better tomorrow.”

Better? Was he nuts? No way would twelve hours of pillow time make it better. Not with a bunch of dragons running around, trying to kill her. But arguing the point wouldn’t get her anywhere. Amassing more information, however, might.

Unlocking her muscles, Tania swiveled in her corner. Mac mirrored her movement, angling his body toward her. The couch arm pressing into her back, she settled sideways, chin resting on her bent knees and feet next to his thigh. Cool air rushed over her already cold toes. She hurried to cover them back up. He was faster. Reaching out, he cupped her heel in the palm of his hand.

His touch seared her. She got zapped by static electricity, and heat unfurled, curling up the back of her calf. Surprise made her flinch. The gentleness in his hands made her squirm.

She tugged, fighting his grip. “What are you doing?”

“Easy.” Straightening her leg, he pulled her foot into his lap. “You’re wound too tight. I can help if you let me. Let me, Tania.”

His baritone washed over her in a coaxing wave. Oh so nice. He always sounded so darned amazing. And as he murmured her name again, tempting her to go along,
Tania stared at him, trying to guess his game. She knew he had one. Guys like him always did. She recognized the breed, a charming player who knew his way around women. So, uh-huh. No doubt about it. The whole let-me-help-you thing meant he was up to something. Too bad she didn’t have the mental energy to unravel the mystery.

Her brain was gone, along with the capacity to argue. And the ache in her head? Almost unbearable now, thumping against her temples, making her teeth hurt. So like it or not, the Sherlock Holmes half of her personality wasn’t making an appearance tonight.

She made a halfhearted attempt anyway. “How?”

“You’re feet are like ice.” Caressing the top of her foot, he tweaked the tip of her baby toe. “You need them warmed.”

“So get me a pair of socks,” she said, just to be contrary. “Problem solved.”

“Don’t have any.” The devil in his eyes, his mouth curved up at the corners. “Besides, this is more fun.”

“For whom?”

“Me.”

“Figures,” she said, feigning anger she didn’t feel. And no wonder. Try as she might, she couldn’t conjure up an ounce of pissed off. Then again, being upset with a man while he gave you a foot rub was a practical impossibility. She resisted anyway, putting on a good show. “It’s all about you, after all.”

He ignored the token resistance—thank you, God—and one-upped her, circling his thumbs in just...the right...spot. Tania bit down on a groan. He waited until she shuddered, then pressed in, rubbed deeper, nearly sending her into orbit. She sucked in a quick breath. Holy jeez. He
knew what he was doing. She needed to add wicked-good massage to her running tally. The one entitled...Things at Which Mac Excelled and—

Oh boy.
That
felt unbelievably good.

Usually she couldn’t stand to have her feet touched. Most women loved pedicures. Tania wasn’t one of them. Her soles were too sensitive for that. Oh, she’d tried more than once, wanting well-groomed heels and pretty toenail polish, but it was always a no go. She couldn’t sit still in the chair long enough for the esthetician to finish. She always spazzed out, then bowed out in a hurry.

But Mac’s hands? Heaven on earth.

“Holy moly,” she gasped, squirming as he stroked between her toes.

He chuckled. “Found the spot, didn’t I?”

“Oh, be quiet,” she muttered, unwilling to wave the white flag of surrender. She relaxed instead and, melting into the sofa, rested her cheek against the cushion. “Oh my...jeez. Do that again.”

“Right here?” He rotated his thumb. Swallowing a moan of delight, she twisted in her seat. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Under his spell now, she closed her eyes and slipped her unoccupied foot into his lap. As he continued to rub, heat rose, swelling into a blinding wave of oh-baby-please-don’t-stop. The prickling sensation came next, rushing over her skin, drawing her deep only to keep her afloat on a bliss-filled swirl. And there she bobbed, cresting on gentle waves, lulled into total relaxation. God, he was warm. So very good with his hands.

He switched feet. Tania barely noticed. Immersed in pleasure, she snuggled into the couch, becoming boneless against the leather cushions. Time spun away, stretching out
as fire crackled and the shadows on the wall grew longer. Seduced by the gentle rhythm of each stroke, she listened to the wall clock walk around its face, each ticktock calling softly in the quiet.

After a while—minutes...hours...she didn’t know—the rubbing stopped. Battling through the mind-fog, Tania forced her eyes open. His gaze on her face, Mac studied her a moment, then shifted toward her. Setting her legs over his thighs, he slid his arm along the back of the sofa and settled in, one hand still warm on her toes, the other next to her head. When she didn’t shy, he took it a step further and picked up a lock of her hair.

He twirled the dark strand around his fingertips. “You have beautiful hair.”

So relaxed she couldn’t move, she whispered, “My sister’s is prettier.”

“Impossible.”

Tania smiled. Not a lot. A simple lift of her lips, but that was all the encouragement he needed. His fingers went searching, delving deep to stroke her scalp. “Hmm...that feels good.”

“The bed’s made.” Sliding on the sofa cushions, he moved closer. His warmth curled around her as she breathed him in. Oh, he smelled good, like exotic spices and untold pleasures...exactly as a man should. “Let me tuck you in,
mo chroí
.”

“Tell me about Myst first.” Fighting a yawn, she asked, “Is she really all right? You said she’d be here.”

“I know.” His thumb brushed over her temple. With a sigh, she turned in to his gentle touch, asking for more. He gave it to her. Releasing her foot, he brought his other hand into play. As he cupped her nape, the current-like sensation
increased, then swirled down her spine in a heated rush. “But the plan changed on the bridge. I brought you here instead of Black Diamond.”

Her eyes drifted closed. Tania forced them open again. Shimmering aquamarine eyes met hers. Funny, but the glow didn’t bother her that much anymore. Somehow it seemed normal now...part of the man, instead of a monster.

“The bridge,” she said, trying to make her brain work. It was skipping all over the place, playing pinball inside her skull, scattering important puzzle pieces. Gathering up as many as she could, Tania struggled to connect each tidbit. “When the red dragon attacked?”

“Yeah. He’s a really bad guy. Leader of a rogue faction of Dragonkind.”

“Dragonkind?” She frowned.
Dragonkind.
That sounded weird, like a misnomer, not a real thing. “What are you? A different species or something?”

“Pretty much.” He kept stroking her, his fingers working their magic. He skimmed the side of her throat. Moving down, he found the space between her neck and shoulder. He massaged with gentle hands, working out the kinks, and she purred. “I couldn’t let him take you, Tania. He would’ve hurt you, and I...shit. No way I’m letting that happen.”

Alarm pierced through some of the pleasant haze. “Did he hurt Myst?”

He shook his head. “Bastian got to her first.”

“Who’s that?”

“Commander of the Nightfuries...the pack I belong to now.”

“Explain.”

He did, and as she listened to him talk—about Razorbacks and Nightfuries, about dragon history, the
ongoing war, and his transition into Dragonkind society—Tania didn’t know what to say. Or how to react. And as words like
the Meridian
and
energy-feedings
got thrown around, Tania stared at him. It was all so bizarre. Not to mention confusing. A whole species of dragon-guys were flying around, blowing things up, and no one—at least as far as she could tell—knew a darned thing about it.

“So...you’re not human.”

“Half. My mother was human.”

“But not your father.”

“I was sired by a Dragonkind male,” he said, watching her closely, no doubt waiting for her to freak out. But like a consummate poker player, he’d played his cards right, ensuring she was too relaxed to indulge in a mental meltdown. Now, instead of fear, curiosity took hold, making her want to know more. “Like all of my race, I can shift form at will.”

Well, that was...kind of cool, actually. Then again, what did she know? The train named
Insanity
had pulled out of her station hours ago. “And at the precinct? When you hauled me in for questioning, did you know—”

“No.” With a smooth move, he slid his arms around her and lifted. Before she could protest, he settled her in his lap, bum against his thighs, cheek nestled against his strong shoulder. Wrapping her up, he cuddled her close, using his warmth and scent to seduce her. And wow. She really should say something. Tell him to back off, put her down...
something
. But honestly? It felt too good to worry about. His hands were at it again, rubbing her back, caressing her calf. “Until a month ago, I didn’t know dragons existed either. I thought I was one hundred percent human until I woke up in dragon form.”